new Guy here and don't know if this is the right place to intro myself but here goes.
pretty mechanical my whole life. dad owned a welding business so that's where i started. than joined the navy and did electronics and all kinds of heavy automation. always worked on cars and engines. i also do all kinds of carpentry and have a pretty nice cabinet shop. but my latest interest is machining and my wife thinks I'm over the edge.
4 years ago i got a beat to death southbend 10k lathe at a high school auction pretty cheap. it took me a couple years and some e-bay screwing er training to get it running. after that it has gone pretty far down hill. now i have three lathes 9", 10K and clausing 15", three mills M head, big grizzly VS 5HP and a monster KT 203 s12 horizontal with all sorts of accessories, 2 band saws and a surface grinder. and I've been sulking for days because i got over bid on a SM 20" lathe a few days ago. 4 years may seem like I've been taking my time but i got cancer, spent almost 2 years in and out of the hospital, became disabled and was forced to lose my home and move from Michigan back home to upstate new york during that time. now though i am free to work in the shop whenever i am healthy enough.
i am fortunate that my uncle who i am very close with is a very good machinist and he is always there to help me when i stumble. ok he usually waits till i fall. then when he is done laughing he helps me out. but it's better than nothing.
i am interested in doing a team build and want to build a steam tractor. not real interested in building a train. not that they aren't mechanical wonders i just don't want to be tied to tracks. i have a R/R museum about 1000ft from my house and my grandson and i walk there at least once a week.
with everything i have had happen to me i really can't complain. i still have a shop my family and a lot of close friends. but i will say going from a 50 x 90 shop to a small 1 car garage can make for some tight clearances and a lot of machine moving. i feel really bad for the people who have to use a room in their house or apt..
pretty mechanical my whole life. dad owned a welding business so that's where i started. than joined the navy and did electronics and all kinds of heavy automation. always worked on cars and engines. i also do all kinds of carpentry and have a pretty nice cabinet shop. but my latest interest is machining and my wife thinks I'm over the edge.
4 years ago i got a beat to death southbend 10k lathe at a high school auction pretty cheap. it took me a couple years and some e-bay screwing er training to get it running. after that it has gone pretty far down hill. now i have three lathes 9", 10K and clausing 15", three mills M head, big grizzly VS 5HP and a monster KT 203 s12 horizontal with all sorts of accessories, 2 band saws and a surface grinder. and I've been sulking for days because i got over bid on a SM 20" lathe a few days ago. 4 years may seem like I've been taking my time but i got cancer, spent almost 2 years in and out of the hospital, became disabled and was forced to lose my home and move from Michigan back home to upstate new york during that time. now though i am free to work in the shop whenever i am healthy enough.
i am fortunate that my uncle who i am very close with is a very good machinist and he is always there to help me when i stumble. ok he usually waits till i fall. then when he is done laughing he helps me out. but it's better than nothing.
i am interested in doing a team build and want to build a steam tractor. not real interested in building a train. not that they aren't mechanical wonders i just don't want to be tied to tracks. i have a R/R museum about 1000ft from my house and my grandson and i walk there at least once a week.
with everything i have had happen to me i really can't complain. i still have a shop my family and a lot of close friends. but i will say going from a 50 x 90 shop to a small 1 car garage can make for some tight clearances and a lot of machine moving. i feel really bad for the people who have to use a room in their house or apt..
